Brownings bakery van driver attacked

A delivery driver from Scotland’s Brownings the Bakers was attacked by a gang of thugs as he went about his rounds in the small hours.

Barry Richards, 62, had made a 2am delivery on a housing estate in Kilmarnock, where nine-shop retail and wholesale chain Brownings is based.

Richards was in the back of his van sorting out orders when a gang of boys arrived and dragged him out of the vehicle, taking his keys.

They drove off in the van, scattering its contents, 3,600 rolls which had yet to be delivered, all over the streets of Kilmarnock. The van, with the slogan Say Aye to a Killie Pie, was later found smashed into a fence.

John Gall, managing director of Brownings the Bakers told British Baker that Richards was unhurt and had returned to work in the bakery, despite being shaken from his ordeal.

He said: “Barry is a very popular guy and everyone is very shocked by what has happened. He only does deliveries at the weekends and one of the guys will be going out with him next time until he gets his confidence back.”

Gall said that the driver of the stolen van had been arrested and was due to appear in court. This is not the first time that Brownings and Richards have been targeted by criminals, he added.

Richards was held up at gunpoint by a youth two years ago and had his delivery van stolen, as he waited for a colleague outside his house at 3am.

“He has been very unlucky. He must be the most unlucky bakery delivery driver,” Gall said. He added that the £25,000 crashed van was written off by insurers, which would put insurance premiums up next year.

He commented: “It can be eerie out at night, with drunk and antisocial people about. But it is part of the life when you are a baker, we make deliveries 24 hours a day.”